


Second Life

by Nope



Category: Doctor Who
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-05-25
Updated: 2007-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:21:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25767355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nope/pseuds/Nope
Summary: He could have said yes.





	Second Life

_"There wasn't anything you could've done different. People just change."_

_"There was one thing."_   
**Rose and Mickey, after the end, March 2007.**

** One year earlier: **

"You're right," the Doctor says. "I am dangerous. I don't want anybody following me."

Jackie and Rose are coming out of the flats, Jackie pleading, Rose full of life, raring for adventure.

"How can you say that," Mickey says, nodding towards her, "and then take her with you?"

The Doctor looks at him and it's the eyes -- he's just some bloke until you meet his eyes. Alien. Monster. Saviour of the human race. Rose's friend. Which is the real Doctor?

"You could look after her," he says. "Come with us."

"This life of yours..." The thing is, he's all of those things, good and bad, wonder and madness in leather and big ears. "I--"

And then there's Rose and Jackie, filling up the world, noise and light and bright, sweet smile.

"If you saw it out there," Rose says, "you'd never stay home."

Mickey wants to say: I have seen it. I've seen it, right here, Rose. Plastic assassins. The year of the lost. Spaceships in the Thames. I almost died, Jackie almost died. You almost died, Rose. I almost killed you to save the world. It's horror and darkness and alien fucking goo and he'll sacrifice himself to save them and you won't let him, will you? You won't ever let him, not alone, you and your "do it" and him and his "standing up and making a decision because nobody else will" and you'll die, you'll both die, for some stupid reason and some stupid people, on some stupid planet in some stupid future, and I'll never know. I'll never know, Rose. You'll just be gone. Again.

"Come with us," she says.

A place of his own, a steady job, footy on the weekends, a quiet life, and Rose. It's all he ever wanted. Four out of five or one. Mickey the idiot.

"There's plenty of room," she says.

"Right," he says, jumping to his feet.

Rose beams. The Doctor looks smug, but when doesn't he? Jackie lets out a sharp "Mickey!", betrayed. He doesn't look at her, just tosses away his paper and its 'Alien Hoax' bollocks.

"I'll come for a ride or two."

"Or twelve," Rose says, and hugs him, tight and bright and laughing.

Everything goes fast now, a side trip for clothes and to release the virus, because Jackie can't even work the Videoplus, a blur of goodbyes masquerading as 'we'll see you's, and they're in. Bigger on the inside. Big as Rose's heart. And he may be small, but he's not done growing.

"Come on then, boss," Mickey says. "Show us what you've got."

Rose laughs. The Doctor grins his manic poser grin and whacks some lever and the whole place judders and groans and, outside, Jackie starts counting, ten, nine, and inside, with Rose and the Doctor and the whole of time and space, Mickey crosses his arms and watches the column rise and fall and he's smiling too, just a little. Just enough. It's going to end badly, he knows it. But it's okay.

They'll can all be idiots together.


End file.
